CPS fined £200,000 after burglars steal unencrypted laptops containing videos of sex abuse victims

The videos, stolen from a desk of a production company, detailed how victims had been groomed and attacked

The laptops were stolen after being left on a desk at a Manchester-based production company. File photo (Getty Images)

The Crown Prosecution Service has been fined £200,000 after burglars stole unencrypted laptops containing videos of sex abuse victims detailing how they had been groomed and attacked.

The agency was accused of negligence and complacency in failing to protect the identities of 43 victims linked to 31 police investigations who featured on police interview videos that had been sent to a production company for editing. One of the cases involved a “high-profile” individual, thought to refer to Jimmy Savile’s former chauffeur Ray Teret, who has been jailed for 25 years for seven counts of rape and 11 indecent assaults. The cases also included a woman who was raped at the age of 12 by a paedophile who groomed her. Another case was about a gang rape.

The laptops were stolen after being left on a desk at the Manchester-based production company Swan Films which was not adequately alarmed, according to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) which investigated the case.

Greater Manchester Police found the laptops after eight days and examinations suggested that none of the videos had been viewed. The force said that no criminal cases were believed to have collapsed because of the breach. Six people arrested over the break-in and handling stolen goods were not charged because of a lack of evidence.

Stephen Eckersley, the ICO’s head of enforcement, said: “The CPS was aware of the distressing nature of the data in the videos, but was complacent in protecting that information.”

Under the law, victims of sexual offences have lifetime anonymity. They are often filmed during police investigations and edited accounts are used in court proceedings.

Richard Scorer, of the law firm Slater and Gordon representing some of those affected, said: “It takes a tremendous amount of courage for victims of sexual abuse to report it and one of the most important factors in encouraging people to come forward is that promise of confidentiality.”